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42 • SPONSORED CONTENT • MARCH 2018
THE
BEVERAGE
BOOM
For Bar Kismet, a 35-seat restaurant and
cocktail bar located in Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Canada, ice is a prominent component,
going through about 400 pounds per day.
In addition to a predominantly seafood
and vegetable menu, its offerings include
an extensive beer and wine list along with
its dozen or so specialty cocktails.
"Ice is an important ingredient when
making cocktails," says Jenner Cormier,
owner of the restaurant. "If a product is cold, chances are it
touches ice in some capacity."
Cormier became familiar with Hoshizaki America Inc.'s ice
machine lines through word of mouth, as he was in search of
equipment known for consistency and reliability.
"It gets to a point in the cocktail industry where the things
that separate quality establishments are beverage ingredients,"
says Cormier. "When looking for an advantage over competing
restaurants, it's about drink consistency and taste."
Bar Kismet utilizes Hoshizaki's F-330BAJ-C air-cooled,
self-contained ice maker with built-in storage bin, which pro-
duces cubelet ice. It features a durable stainless steel exterior,
convenient drop down stainless door and two-second hourly
rinse to remove impurities.
For cocktail chilling, Bar Kismet uses Hoshizaki's IM-200BAA,
which debuted last year. This model creates 1" x 1¼" perfectly
square and crystal clear cubes. The high-efficiency under-
counter ice machine has a small footprint, yet produces 200
pounds of cubes daily and includes a 75-pound built-in storage
bin.
"These units cover all our bases," says Cormier. "With the
cubelet ice machine, we're able to put a steel table over it for a
great compact set up."
For its signature cocktails, Bar Kismet needed a dense
cube that would not melt quickly to control beverage dilution.
"It comes down to controlling every element of the beverage,
that's why we picked the Hoshizaki square cube machine,"
says Cormier.
With the other unit, cubelet ice is used to chill glassware
quickly, in cocktails that contain more juice or different mixers
like syrups, and for storing and serving fish, oysters, raw
scallops and sea urchins.
"When it comes to cocktail ice, the Hoshizaki unit is a
workhorse, and provides the clarity and density that are key to
high quality," says Cormier. "It offers reliability and consistency,
while maintaining the flexibility to adapt as trends change."
Because the length of the actual ice cycle is so important,
along with energy requirements with the machines operating
24/7, these were factors in Cormier's choice of units.
"We have people prepping in the morning, and need ice
machines that can turn over quickly," he says. "We can't wait 90
minutes for cube trays. This is a massive
benefit of both the cube and cubelet ma-
chines, which are constantly producing."
Another benefit of Hoshizaki's units
is the ease in disassembling for cleaning
and maintenance. "That was a huge win
for us, since regular cleaning and mainte-
nance are important with this equipment,"
says Cormier.
Ultimately, it was Hoshizaki's reputa-
tion that was a key deciding factor. "We
associate this brand with excellence and
wonderful customer service," he says.
hoshizakiamerica.com
Case Study: Bar Kismet, Halifax, Canada
Bar Kismet utilizes Hoshizaki's F-330BAJ-C and IM-
200BAA ice machines to produce and use nearly 400
pounds of ice per day.
Jenner Cormier, owner
of Bar Kismet
Bar Kismet, a quaint 35-seat seafood restaurant and bar opened in August 2017